Seattle Sounders FC is a soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), the most senior soccer league in the United States. The club was established in 2007 as an MLS expansion team, succeeding an existing second-division team of the same name, and began play in 2009 as a member of the Western Conference. The MLS regular season typically runs from February to October and the best-performing team is awarded the Supporters' Shield; the top nine teams from each conference qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs, a postseason tournament that culminates in the MLS Cup.
In addition to league play, the Sounders are able to compete in the annual U.S. Open Cup tournament organized by the United States Soccer Federation and the Leagues Cup contested by teams from MLS and Liga MX of Mexico. The league and cup tournaments serve as qualifiers for the following year's CONCACAF Champions Cup (formerly the CONCACAF Champions League), an annual international competition between league and cup champions in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The CONCACAF Champions Cup winner then qualifies for the next FIFA Club World Cup, which is held annually but will switch to every four years beginning in 2025.
The Sounders are one of the most successful clubs in MLS history, having won eight trophies since entering the league in 2009. They won three consecutive U.S. Open Cup titles from 2009 to 2011 and a fourth in 2014, becoming the second MLS club to do so. The club earned their first Supporters' Shield in 2014, completing a double, and won the MLS Cup in 2016 and 2019 during a run of four finals in five years. They won the CONCACAF Champions League in 2022, becoming the first MLS club to win the competition under its modern format and qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup. The Sounder won the Leagues Cup in 2025 and became the first MLS team to win all five of the major North American soccer competitions. Sigi Schmid was the club's head coach from the inaugural MLS season in 2009 until July 2016; he was replaced by Brian Schmetzer, initially as interim coach and later as full head coach. Peruvian striker Raúl Ruidíaz is the club's all-time top scorer with 86 goals in all competitions; he joined the club in 2018 and surpassed Fredy Montero's tally in 2024.
As of the end of the 2025 season, the club has played 17 seasons in MLS with 256 wins, 168 losses, and 134 draws in regular season play—a winning percentage of . The Sounders qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs in their first 13 seasons—tied for the MLS record at the time and the second longest among the major sports leagues in the United States behind the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins. The Sounders led MLS attendance in their first eight years in the league, averaging over 30,000 per season, until they were surpassed by Atlanta United FC in 2017; the club achieved their highest season attendance in 2015 with 44,247 per match. , the 278 regular season matches at Lumen Field in Seattle have averaged 36,508 spectators and drawn over 10.1 million total people; the club has hosted 29 playoff matches that drew an average of 34,451 spectators. The most-attended home Sounders match was the 2025 Leagues Cup final, which set a tournament record with 69,314 spectators. The team also set the tournament record for the CONCACAF Champions League with 68,741 spectators in the second leg of the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League final.
Key Key to competitions
Major League Soccer (MLS) – The top-flight of soccer in the United States, established in 1996. U.S. Open Cup (USOC) – The premier knockout cup competition in U.S. soccer, first contested in 1914 and open to all registered teams. Leagues Cup (LC) – An inter-league competition hosted by MLS teams against clubs from Liga MX in Mexico since 2020. CONCACAF Champions Cup (CCC) – The premier club competition in North American soccer since 1962. It was named the Champions' Cup until 2008 and the CONCACAF Champions League from 2008 to 2023. Campeones Cup (CC) – A super cup match between the winners of the MLS Cup and Mexico's Campeón de Campeones, established in 2018. MLS is Back Tournament (MiB) – A club tournament for MLS teams held once during the 2020 season, which had been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) – The premier intercontinental club tournament organized by FIFA since 2000 between the winners of continental competitions, such as CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Key to colors and symbols 1st or W Winners 2nd or RU Runners-up 3rd Third place Last Last place ♦ League top scorerItalics Ongoing competition
Key to cup record DNE = Did not enter DNQ = Did not qualify NH = Competition not held or canceled QR = Qualifying round PR = Preliminary round GS = Group stage R1 = First round R2 = Second round R3 = Third round R4 = Fourth round R5 = Fifth round Ro16 = Round of 16 Ro32 = Round of 32 QF = Quarterfinals or Conference Semifinals SF = Semifinals or Conference Finals F = Final RU = Runners-up W = Winners
Seasons
+ Results of Seattle Sounders FC league and cup competitions by seasonSeasonLeaguePositionPlayoffsOtherAverageattendanceTop goalscorer(s)LeagueCompetitionResultPlayer(s)Goals200913012113829 +94730,94313201013014103935 +448036,173122011134185637 +196338,49618201213415115133 +185643,1441720131341512424205244,03812201413420106550 +156443,73419201513415134436 +851044,24715201613414144443 +14842,63612201713414115239 +135343,66612201813418115237 +155940,641132019134161085249 +35640,24715 †2020122114423 +2139 † †142021134175333 +2060 † †25,12519202213412174746 +14133,60712202313414114132 +953FIFA Club World Cup32,161142024134165135 +165730,75413202513415105848 +1055FIFA Club World Cup30,99318256168134 +W (1)W (1)W (2)W (4)W (1)W (1)86
See also List of Seattle Sounders (1974–1983) seasons List of Seattle Sounders (1994–2008) seasons List of Tacoma Defiance seasons
Notes
References